


Home Can Be A Person

by regretdotjpg



Series: McGenji Week 2018 [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, McGenji Week, McGenji Week 2018, Overwatch Recall, Pining, Reunions, but they don't kNow they're pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 10:39:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15604482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/regretdotjpg/pseuds/regretdotjpg
Summary: Day 3:Recovery//ReunionA part of Jesse still held onto a hope that one day he’d look at the comm, and see Overwatch’s insignia lighting up the screen. That maybe Overwatch wasn’t completely gone. But it was just a stupid dream he couldn’t seem to rid himself of, no matter how much it hurt. He knew that day would never come.Until it did.aka the one where jesse and genji finally meet each other in the recall





	Home Can Be A Person

At first, Jesse thought it was just a dream.

 

It had to be. It had to be something that had come to him as he was sleeping, a bittersweet hope that never seemed to leave his mind. Because the Overwatch comm he still carried was just a relic from what he now knew had been the good old days.

 

He never could find a logical explanation for why he still carried the thing around. Overwatch was disbanded, gone. There was no point in holding onto his comm. But he still did, because he just couldn’t bring himself to let go of the past.

 

A part of Jesse still held onto a hope that one day he’d look at the comm, and see Overwatch’s insignia lighting up the screen. That maybe Overwatch wasn’t completely gone. But it was just a stupid dream he couldn’t seem to rid himself of, no matter how much it hurt. He knew that day would never come.

 

Until it did.

 

The abandoned warehouse he was hiding in faded away, until it was just him and the insignia glowing on the screen. Below the insignia was a little notification reading he had one unopened video message. The time stamp for the message read 3:00 AM. This wasn’t some ancient, unread message. This had arrived today.

 

Jesse stared and stared and _stared._

 

He felt as if he was floating out of his body, as the world narrowed down to that little notification waiting to be opened. He couldn’t feel his hand, though he could see the death grip it had on the comm.

 

Maybe his mind was finally playing tricks on him, trying to make him feel better about his long gone days of having an actual _family._ The people in Blackwatch and Overwatch hadn’t been family by blood, but they were family to him all the same. It hurt to think about some of them, the ones who had died in the fight against Talon. And in the explosion in Switzerland (But he had heard the whispers of a man called Soldier 76, a dark ghost called Reaper, and couldn’t help but wonder).

 

It was less painful to think about the others, yet somehow more bittersweet. He couldn’t help but think about Lena, Winston, Angela, Fareeha, Reinhardt, Torbjorn, the list went on and on…

 

…. _Genji..._

 

This had to be a dream. It had to be. No other explanation for it. Jesse pinched himself with his metal hand. Then full on _slapped_ himself, trying to wake up and leave all _this_ behind. Yet when he looked at the comm, that notification was still there, right under the patiently waiting insignia of Overwatch. Jesse shook his head, closing his eyes and exhaling heavily. There was no way this was real. He _had_ to be imagining this. But if he wasn’t…no. He wasn’t doing this to himself. He turned off the comm, and went back to sleep. When morning came, he refused to look at the thing and simply packed up and moved on from the warehouse.

 

It wasn’t as if he didn’t long for returning to Overwatch, but it just hurt too much to think about. He didn’t want to bring his hopes up, only for it all to come crashing down on him. Jesse had adjusted to the way things were now. He wouldn’t be able to handle feeling the crushing _despair_ all over again. Yet he couldn’t stop thinking about it. No matter what he was doing, it was there, lingering on his mind.

 

So only two days later, Jesse was staring at the comm again. Sitting under the stars and moon above, he finally let himself admit it. There really was a new video message waiting for him on the comm.

 

It didn’t say who sent it. And something about that made him nervous. What if it was just an accident? What if some random person had accidentally sent a video to him? The Overwatch comms weren’t on an open network so that seemed pretty unlikely, but the possible disappointment still weighed heavily on his mind.

 

But Jesse knew he couldn’t just ignore it. He wouldn’t let himself. He didn’t _want_ to ignore it, truth be told. That dream of his was still there, secretly clinging onto the hope that Overwatch wasn’t done for. That he could...see a one of _them_ again. Hell, any friendly face would do.

 

Nah, he’d be honest with himself now.

 

As much he wanted to see everybody else, he wanted to see Genji the most. He missed their wordless all nighters, when they would either go up to the roof or the other’s room and just _exist_ together. He missed the unspoken sense of trust that had built between the them, the way it was just natural to just be around each other. He missed the sense of humor Genji had slowly developed, the stupid jokes they would toss back and forth once Genji fully opened up to him.

 

Their friendship had been rocky at first. It was mostly Jesse sitting with Genji and Genji just barely tolerating his presence. At least, that was what it felt like. But time and battles fought together had changed that. One day, or maybe it had been a gradual process, they were just...friends. Actual friends, despite all the walls Genji had put up solely to keep others away.

 

He wondered where Genji was, what he was doing. What he was like now. Yeah, he missed Genji bad. And it wasn’t a casual sort of missing somebody. No, it was the type that pulled at his thoughts, his heart, whenever he was most lonely. It made his chest ache so much it hurt.

 

Genji Shimada had been the closest friend he’d ever had.

 

He snapped out of his thoughts suddenly remembering the video. It was still waiting for him, hovering inconspicuously on the screen. Now or never, McCree. Not knowing what was in the message would drive him insane, anyway.

 

Before he could chicken out of it, Jesse took a deep breath and opened the message. Immediately, a holographic screen popped up from the comm, displaying the video in the air in front of him. Just about every cell in his body locked up in surprise when he saw who was on the screen.

 

It was none other than _Winston_. had grown even more since Jesse had last seen him. Fondness swelled in his throat as he looked at the big guy. And it was clear from the get go that Winston had forgotten to cut out some of his recording attempts. Jesse momentarily forgot about the significance of the moment and chuckled a bit, until Winston started what appeared to be his final take.

 

“ _30 years ago, the omnics declared war. The nations of the world had no answer, until they called upon a small group of heroes._ **_Overwatch_ ** _was created …”_

 

Jesse watched the images on the screen as if it were his first time hearing about this, as if he hadn’t been a part of some of it himself. He wouldn’t have been able to look away anyhow.

 

“ **_You_ ** _were chosen because you had powers, and abilities that made you…..you joined! Because you…”_

 

Winston began to falter, clearly grasping for the right words to say. Eventually, he just trailed off dejectedly. Suddenly, the photos on the screen were slid away, revealing the gorilla’s face once again. He sighed, looking down at the hapless pieces of paper in his hands.

 

“ _You already know this._ _Look. The people decided they were better off without us. They even called us criminals! They tore out family apart…”_

 

The hollow in Jesse’s chest ached sharply. Winston fell quiet, silence hanging around him as he looked down mournfully. But something made him start up again, and he straightened up, a new fire in his eyes.

 

“ **_But look around!_ ** _”_

 

Winston typed something onto a keyboard offscreen, and more images popped up again. This time, the photos were recent ones, things that had been plastered all over the news. Jesse had seen them before. He wanted to help, but he _couldn’t._ It was hard enough to just get around as a wanted man. Purposely getting involved in something like that and not getting caught would be impossible. There was nothing he could do. Nothing he could do _by himself._

 

Jesse kept watching, ignoring the feeling that this was all building up to something huge.

 

“ _...We can make a difference again. The world needs us now, more than ever!”_ Winston paused, breathing deeply. He took off his glasses and looked straight at the camera, “ _Are you with me?”_

 

And just like that, the video ended. The holographic screen closed and disappeared. Jesse was left staring at where it had been, trying to find a train of thought to follow amongst the scrambled mess within his head. Suddenly, another holographic screen sprung up, startling him. It wasn’t a video, or even a message. No, all there was were two buttons on a dark screen. “Y” and “N”.

 

Yes or No.

 

The hushed numbness in his mind trickled away, leaving behind a disarrayed jumble of thoughts and voice all telling him different things. He would say he didn’t believe it was real, but there was no denying what he had just seen. That was Winston in the video. That was Winton, asking the former agents of Overwatch to come together again, because the world needed them.

 

This was a Recall.

 

Jesse didn’t know how long he sat there, staring at the waiting screen, unwavering in its display. The buttons looked so unremarkable. Just a simple “Y” and “N”.

 

Pressure built up in his head, hammering at the inside of his skull as he looked at the buttons. The way they looked didn’t fit the momentous decision towering over Jesse. He was at a crossroads. He stared at the screen until it felt as if he couldn’t see anything else. All there was was the light of the screen, glowing softly in the night and etching itself onto the underside of his eyelids.

 

He could say that he was done Overwatch, but he knew that was a total lie. He could say that he had learned better from watching Overwatch fall, but he knew that if he could have stopped it, he would have.

 

What Jesse _could_ say was that he missed having a purpose, actually doing something good for the countless innocents who deserved peace. He missed having a family. _He missed Genji Shimada._

  


Jesse gingerly pressed on the Y.

  
  


\---- ---- ----

  
  


The directions were vague, purposely written so that only somebody who had been in Overwatch would understand. It took Jesse a while, but eventually he realized the directions were leading to a Watchpoint in Europe. After figuring that out, Jesse didn’t need to read the directions—he knew the way there.

 

Aftering choosing to join the Recall, his comm had spat out another screen with two options. This time, he had to choose if he wanted to be picked up by the members of the Recall, or go to them. Jesse had chose to go to them. He supposed it would have been much easier to be picked up, but he had his reasons.

 

Part of him was worried it was a trap. For all he knew, the video was fake. Bounty Hunters, or hell, maybe even the law itself, could have strung together that video and sent it out in hopes of catching him. He didn’t want to risk sending his location, even if Jesse didn’t think that was the case. And if it was, it’d be the _cruelest_ thing that had ever happened to him.

 

But the _real_ reason? He wanted time.

 

The journey to the Watchpoint would take him about a week and a half. He’d have to hitch a ride on a few trains, then travel the rest of the way on foot. And make stops for food and rest along the way to keep him going. He would also have to avoid the law, so that was yet another setback that would drag out the duration of the journey.

 

On one hand, it felt like too long of a wait. On the other, he felt as if it was too short. He wanted, no, _needed_ time to prepare himself. It was hard to fully accept that, just like that, he Overwatch was back. After waiting for so long and then giving up, it felt so _sudden._ Just like that, the world built around him flipped on its head.

 

Jesse was already on the first train. He had snuck into one of the open-door boxcar compartments. He would jump off it in two days, once he reached the next set of tracks, but that would be later. Right now, he was leaning against the doorframe and watching the moonlit landscape shoot past. Wind rushed past, making his hair and serape flutter about. The wind was nice and refreshing, but it did nothing to calm his mind. Coming to terms with it all was more of a challenge than he had thought it would. It all felt surreal, and he couldn’t quite shake the feeling.

 

This...this was something he had spent so long desperately wishing for, despite how he tried not to get his hopes up. Eventually, he had let it go and just accepted the reality of his situation. But now that buried dream was coming to life. Anticipation rested heavily in his stomach, making him limbs feel heavy and weightless all at the same time.

 

Jesse knew he wasn’t the only one who had been genuinely happy back then. And somehow, he knew in his bones that others had responded to the Recall. That was the root of the anticipation gnawing at his stomach. He had spent so many years alone, and now he was suddenly faced with the prospect of seeing people he cared about. Winston would be there, being that he was the one initiating the Recall. Jesse was looking forward to seeing the big guy, that was for sure. But who else would be there? Lena? Reinhardt? Angela? How many of them would he get to finally see again _?_

 

_What about Genji?_

 

That question in particular stuck with him. It was as if he internally running around in circles, always coming back down to that one query. Thinking about Genji always pulled out the memories, and now it was all he could think about. Memories were the only thing Jesse had during all these years on the run. He carried them with him, a remnant of when things were looking up.

 

They were the only thing he knew wouldn’t slip through his fingers, like everything else had, no matter how much time passed. Remembering was always undeniably painful, but Jesse held on. It was the only reason he had to smile nowadays, after all. Even though those memories were of a past long gone, it was nice to be reminded of how good it had been.

 

Many of those memories consisted of Genji. And now, with his thoughts spinning around Genji, the memories were coming up one by one...

 

All those midnight talks during sleepless nights, when neither of them could slip quietly into unconsciousness. And then sitting together on the roof, watching the sun come up hours later. The first time Genji had taken his mask off in front of him. The first time Genji called him “Jesse”, not “McCree”. Random snippets of conversations. Flashes of diving across rooftops, dashing away from reckless decisions they only _pretended_ to regret. The very first time Genji made a joke, and they way he quietly hummed with barely noticeable pride when Jesse laughed.

 

But what lingered the most were the memories where there was more to it—something Jesse didn’t quite grasp.

 

Like when Genji’s piercing gaze would drift towards him when he didn’t think he was looking. Or the moments when Jesse found himself staring straight into glowing red eyes that were aflame with something other than crackling darkness, something that felt all too much like intense _openness._

 

Genji’s gaze had always seemed to soften when they talked.

 

Jesse had never said anything, but he noticed. He often wondered what it had meant.

 

Even if he’d never see Genji again, Jesse would always have memories. And it almost felt like enough, but it would never be the real deal. He had resigned himself to that fact long ago...except it wasn’t a fact anymore. Suddenly, everything was changing.

 

There was a chance that he would see Genji again. There was a chance that very passing second brought him closer to the person he’d been missing for so long. He might see Genji again, for the first time in years.

 

The idea left Jesse breathless. In just a few days, Genji Shimada could be more than just a remnant of the past. And Jesse couldn’t help but wonder how life had been for his friend. What was he like now? Had he changed at all? Where had he been all these years?

 

Did Genji ever think about him too?

 

All his questions swam around his head, making him feel dizzy. It was too much to think about all at once. Jesse closed his eyes, trying to calm his scattered mind. He needed to hold himself together long enough to actually make it to the damn Watchpoint, after all.

 

But even as he finally slipped into an uneasy sleep, Jesse’s mind still echoed with Genji Shimada.

  
  
  
  


\---- ---- ----

  
  
  
  


By the time he made it to the final leg of his journey, Jesse was nothing but an anxious jumble of nerves.

 

Jesse was walking past seemingly endless fields and forests, a blur of red in a sea of yellow and green under the early morning sun. To the casual observer, it would look like he was in the middle of nowhere. Technically, it _was_ the middle of nowhere, but that was for a reason.

 

Just a few miles away was the designated Watchpoint where was supposed to meet all the other members of the Recall. Overwatch Watchpoints were always located in areas random civilians couldn’t easily stumble upon. Nobody would come out here, and if somebody did, chances were they wouldn’t find the Watchpoint anyway.

 

Needless to say, his heart was practically in his throat. Jesse had finally come to terms with the whole idea of the Recall, and now he was just downright nervousness. At this point, his entire body was flush with nearly maddening anticipation. Now that he had finally let himself be _hopeful,_ he was worried it would suddenly slip away. As much as he tried to ignore it, part of him was scared that if he didn’t get there fast enough, it would all disappear. Stupid, he knew. But he wasn’t ready to let go of a lifeline before he even grabbed onto it.

 

It was almost entirely silent. The only noise  was the faint jingle of his spurs and the sounds of nature around him. Normally, he’d whistle or something like that, anything to lighten the mood, but he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts.

 

Jesse couldn’t help but reconsider the prospect of Genji even being there. Earlier, he had made the general assumption that Genji would answer the Recall. But what if he hadn’t? It wasn’t as if he would up and change his mind just because Genji wasn’t there, but...well, he had certainly set himself up for a world of hurt if that was the case. Maybe, if Genji didn’t show, he could convince Winston to help find him. Not to force the cyborg to join, or anything like that, but just because Jesse wanted to see him. If he had the resources, had friends willing to help, he’d try to find Genji. But what if Genji didn’t want to be found? Maybe the cyborg wanted nothing to do with Overwatch, especially how it had practically gone up in flames. And...what if….what if he wasn’t even _alive?_

 

Jesse shook that thought out of his head immediately.

 

No. Nope. Nada. Absolutely not. Not going down that road. That would only make the red-hot uneasiness even worse.

 

He squared his shoulders, taking a deep breath. For now, he’d try not to expect anything. But he wouldn’t stop himself from _hoping._ Because try as he might, he couldn’t deny the bubbling hope in his chest that Genji had made the same choice as he did. An odd mixture of wishes and doubts continued to clash back and forth within him, but he just shouldered it with grim determination. The morning sun continued to climb higher into the sky as he walked, making Jesse all too aware of how long this was taking.

 

After what felt like _hours,_ Jesse finally walked out of a glen of trees and was greeted with the distant outline of familiar buildings. His eyes widened at the sight, and he came to a stop, trying to get a better look. Sure enough, it was none other than the Watchpoint, gleaming in the sunlight.

 

Jesse froze, staring at the familiar sight in shock. He remained still for about a second, then impulsively took off at full speed towards the Watchpoint. Somehow, his hat managed to stay on as he rushed across the uneven terrain, eyes trained on the rapidly approaching buildings. They grew larger as he got closer, rising towards the sky above him.

 

He only slowed down once he reached the Watchpoint’s first line of security— a large gated fence that thrummed with electric power. Jesse slowed to a jog, then stopped completely as he neared the softly buzzing fence. He stared up at the solid gates, mulling over the fact that it was the only thing between him and whatever, no, _whoever_ was waiting for him. Everything felt so…. _momentous._

 

Jesse knew from experience what he had to do. He slowly stepped forward and placed a hand on the smooth metal of the gate. Instantly, a camera extended from the top of structure, swinging down to look at him with an electronic whine. A line of green light shot out from the lens and scanned him from head to toe. Nothing happened right away, and all was silent for a bit. Just as he started to get anxious, the camera retracted with a soft whirr.

 

“Welcome back, Agent McCree.” Athena voice declared out of the hidden speakers. Jesse grinned to himself. Damn, was it good to hear that again, “Your fellow agents are waiting for you near Watchpoint Headquarters.”

 

The gate slid aside as Athena finished, revealing the unobstructed walkway leading into the Watchpoint. Jesse blinked, then stared ahead at the pathway. He found himself hovering on the edge. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want to see everybody again, but...everything felt so _momentous._ Like he was taking the final leap into some huge change. Well. Now that he thought about it, this was exactly that, wasn’t it?

 

Taking a deep breath, Jesse stepped over the threshold and started walking. Within seconds he was crossing through the outskirts of the base.

 

Jesse couldn’t help but stare, nearly overwhelmed by the nostalgia. He’d forgotten how _big_ the Watchpoints were. Even though it wasn’t bustling with activity like it had before, it felt _alive._ He had spent quite some time at this particular Watchpoint, so everything was achingly familiar. He continued to stare around the base as he walked past the outdoor storage rooms, practice range, and med-bay, reveling in the memories each landmark brought up.

 

He stopped entirely when he reached the west wing dorms. Jesse looked up at the building, eyes roaming upwards. A lifetime ago, he and Genji had watched the sunrise together for the first time on the roof of this building. He could still remember the it— the beautiful blend of purple, blue, yellow, and red in the sky, the first rays of sun hitting the glass windows across base. The way Genji seemed genuinely _at peace,_ if just for a little while. The soft light reflecting faintly in Genji’s eyes when he looked at Jesse. There had been something in that gaze, something he had never fully comprehended.

 

He shook his head, blinking away the memory. Right, headquarters. They were waiting for him near the Watchpoint Headquarters building.

 

Jesse resumed walking in the direction of headquarters. The building was about five minutes away, and that little piece of information managed to start some sort of countdown in his head. He could feel the anticipation skyrocketing back up with each step. _Only five more minutes._ His fingers twitched ever so slightly. Days and hours had finally trickled down into just five more minutes.

 

But it felt like mere seconds passed before he was nearly there.

 

Every muscle in his body locked up as the sound of voices drifted around the corner. His mind immediately raced to match voices to names. He slowly skirted along the edge of the building, inching closer.

 

“—don’t know who it is. Athena only told me somebody was here.” Winston’s mildly gruff voice stated.

 

“Ah, don’t worry about it! They’ll be here any second, anyway.” The next voice was Lena.

 

_They were so close._

 

Jesse inhaled sharply. He couldn’t stand to just wait there, but his heart was going to pound straight out of his chest. Disbelief still clung to him, despite the fact that he could _hear_ how close they were. Not seeing anybody you knew for years could do that to a person. But this was it. Now or never. Taking a deep breath, he quietly rounded the corner.

 

Instantly, he felt as if he was floating out of his body.

 

Almost everybody he had known back in Blackwatch was just a few feet away. Older, sure, but the same people nonetheless. Jesse’s eyes flicked from face to face, taking stock. Winston, Reinhardt, Lena, Angela, and Torbjorn were there, in the flesh, very real and very much right there in front of him.

 

Just... _there._

 

They were gathered loosely around a holographic display of the globe, deep in conversation. None of had yet to notice the stunned, silent presence lingering nearby. Jesse quietly stepped closer, staring into a window of the past _and_ present. A faint smile flickered across his face as he looked at the intense concentration on Angela’s face, the optimism Lena and Reinhardt exuded, **_everything_ ** that was so, so, so wonderfully familiar.

 

A moment later, he noticed all the new faces there too. Well, he’d be damned—Winston had  already found new recruits for the Recall. There was a young (possibly still in her late teens) Asian woman with pink triangles on her face, and….was that a famous DJ? Huh. It was. Now that Jesse thought about it, the kid was also a known Freedom fighter in the fight against Vishkar in Rio de Janeiro. Overwatch always picked up the darndest people, himself included.

 

Near the left of the group was an omnic, hovering cross legged in the air. He appeared to be a monk, base off the way he was dressed. Standing next to him was another omnic, though his body was more humanesque than the other’s.

 

Genji wasn’t anywhere in sight.

 

Disappointment, heavy and dark, hit him square in the face. But Jesse quickly shoved the thought to the back of his mind. For now, at least, he wouldn’t think about that. He didn’t want to ruin this. So he kept the thought aside for later, trying not to dwell on it or acknowledge the soft aching in his chest.

 

But for some odd reason, his eyes kept trailing back to the second omnic. Maybe it was because he was unlike any omnic Jesse had ever seen. Parts of his connected with light brown corded tubing, kind of like artificial muscles. The rest of him was silver, with glowing green details here and there.

 

Upon closer look, his head kind of resembled a helmet. Why would an omnic wear a helmet? It’s not as if they didn’t need the protection, but normally, the protection was built in. Jesse stared, trying to piece together the sudden mystery before him.

 

Something about the omnic felt all too familiar.

 

Maybe he wasn’t even an omnic at all, though. Maybe he was just wearing a shit ton of armor. But that didn’t explain the tubing. And it didn’t explain how the metal moved freely with his body, freely in a way that armor couldn’t easily replicate. It would only make sense if the armor was a part of him. But that was impossible, unless…

 

He stared at the omnic, at the curved sword slung across his back, at the silver and green of his body. The corded tubes really did look like artificial muscles. Kind of like cybernetics. Faint, surprising recognition trickled in the longer Jesse looked. _Why did Jesse feel like he knew him?_

 

His eyes caught on another detail, one he almost overlooked somehow. Slung across the omnic’s back was a thin, curved black scabbard, carrying what appeared to be a long sword. His mind automatically recognized it— it was an **_ōdachi._ **

 

It reminded him of the one Genji had.

 

 

 

 

 

He blinked.

 

A single thought crossed his mind.

 

The floating feeling was gone instantly, snapping him back into his body with nearly staggering whiplash. Everything fell silent in his ears as the world around him sharpened and refocused with startling clarity, narrowing down to here and now. He opened his mouth wordlessly, trying to find his voice, but it wasn’t there. After a painfully long eternity of waiting, one breathless word found its way out.

 

“Genji?”

 

His voice carried over to the group. It was more than enough to get their attention, which was clear as they turned towards him in surprise. But Jesse was focused entirely on the silver and green omnic. The omnic whipped around mere seconds after he spoke, turning to face him. He froze shoulders tensing in what Jesse could only assume was surprise.

 

It was dead silent.

 

The omnic was impossibly still, except for a black ribbon coming from the base of its head, trailing languidly in the breeze. It was impossible to read the omnic’s expression, being that he couldn’t _see one_ behind the blank, silver visor.

 

Then, suddenly, the omnic was grasping at his helmet, almost desperately. With a soft mechanical click, the helmet was being pulled off. Jesse watched with wide eyes as the helmet was pulled off. The first thing he saw was tousled black hair. And, then, glimpses of very much human skin.

 

The man lowered the helmet, raising his face to look at Jesse.

 

His heart stopped.

 

_Genji._

 

The person behind the helmet was none other than Genji Shimada. All the air left his body in one soft gasp at the revelation, and then stayed out as he took in the expression on Genji’s face.

 

Genji’s eyes shined with unrestrained excitement, face lit up in the biggest smile Jesse had ever seen. His lips moved silently, mouthing one word ( _“Jesse”)_ with silent disbelief and elation all mingled up into one emotion. The smile became a grin, big and bright and full of so much unbridled happiness that it nearly bowled him over.

 

He felt himself break out into an equally elated grin as dizzying euphoria hit him square in the face. The floating feeling was back again, except this time he was fucking _soaring._ Something had happened over the years since they had last seen each other. Genji was _happy._ The tangible heaviness from before was gone, replaced by a visible lightness, by that thrilled smile aimed right at him.

 

Suddenly, his body was moving toward Genji out of its own accord. The cyborg threw down his helmet and now he was walking, jogging, then _running_ towards Jesse, rapidly closing the distance between them.

 

 **“** **_JESSE!”_ **

 

He caught a flash of the pure _joy_ on Genji’s face before nearly 200 hundred pounds of cyborg barreled into him, tackling him in a fierce hug and sending his hat flying.

 

The two of them pitched backwards, hitting the ground with a loud thud. It nearly knocked Jesse senseless, but he didn’t mind. He was too busy returning the hug, laughing and finding comfort in the steady weight of Genji’s body on his. He shifted his legs apart, giving Genji room to rest the lower half of his body on the ground.

 

They laid there like that, wrapped up in a hug and laughing like idiots.

 

“Missed you too, partner.” Jesse said, still shaking with laughter. He pushed at at Genji’s chest, “C’mon, let me up.”

 

Genji pushed off of him and moved back a bit, giving him room to sit up a bit. They stared at each other, grinning breathlessly. Jesse took in the light in Genji’s eyes, the way his smile didn’t look like it was dimming anytime soon. Nothing was said, and yet _everything_ was said.

 

He reached out and dragged Genji into another embrace. Genji wrapped his arms tightly around Jesse’s waist, leaning forward to tuck his chin on his shoulder. He huffed as the air was squeezed out of his lungs, retaliating by tousling the cyborg’s hair. Genji chuckled, bumping the side of his head gently against Jesse’s.

 

They were both nearly dizzy, light headed with trying to keep track of everything that had just happened.

 

There were so many things rushing through Jesse’s head. So many things he wanted to say. Where did he even start? What did you say to somebody when you finally reunite after years apart?

 

It was okay, though. They had plenty of time to figure it out.

 

“Holy shit, Genji, _Genji.”_ Jesse rapidly patted Genji’s back, limbs burning with energy as the words poured out of him, “Fuck, what do I even say?”

 

Genji laughed, leaning back to look him in the face. He placed one hand on the ground to keep himself propped up, but the other remained on Jesse’s hip, comforting and familiar. Jesse’s own hands stayed on his shoulders, gripping gently.

 

“How am I supposed to know?” Genji remarked, cocking his head. His eyes twinkled, humor and happiness mixing into one uncontrollable emotion.

 

“Fair enough.” Jesse admitted, “Almost can’t believe this is happening. Never thought I’d see you again.”

 

“I worried the same.” Genji murmured, grin softening but still just as bright, “I wasn’t sure if you would be able to join the Recall or not. You’ve raised quite a bounty on your head.”

 

“Hah. You thought I’d actually get caught?”

 

“Ah, of course not. I just thought you might have been caught _temporarily._ ”

 

“Same thing.” Jesse flicked the cyborg’s shoulder, “To be honest, I didn’t know if you’d be here either. Where have ya been all this time?”

 

Jesse knew _he_ was plastered all over the news, but Genji hadn’t been making any headlines in the time they were apart. He was curious as to he had been up to. More than that, he wanted to know what _happened._ What made it possible for Genji to smile so genuinely like that, to feel the happiness shining in his eyes.

 

“Ah, that is a...long story. After Overwatch fell, I drifted for a while. I didn’t stay in one place for long.” Genji said, voice slightly distant. He looked over his shoulder at the omnic monk, who was hovering peacefully in the background. “Until I met Zenyatta. I met him during my travels. We did not see eye-to-eye, at first. I was...troubled, but you already know that.”

 

Genji chuckled slightly.

 

“He convinced me to join him in a monastery in Nepal, the Shambali. Words cannot explain how much I owe him.” He paused, taking a deep breath, “He _helped_ me. Under his guidance  I...I was able to make peace with myself, with what happened to me. I was able to accept who I am. It’s not who I used to be, but who I am now.”

 

His voice was faint, gentle, but happy. He had rarely sounded like that in Blackwatch, save for all _those_ moments. Moments that carried so much more than Jesse could understand.

 

“I’ll hav’ta thank him for that.” Jesse said, glancing at the omnic monk, Zenyatta with a newfound sense of gratitude, “You deserve to be happy, Genji. It looks good on you.”

 

“Arigato.” Genji beamed. He abruptly paused, staring at Jesse thoughtfully. After a brief silence, he resumed speaking, “Speaking of things that look good...I like the longer hair. It looks nice.”

 

“Huh?” Jesse blinked in confusion, then remembered. His hair had grow out over the years on the run. The last time Genji had seen him, his hair had been shorter.

 

“Oh, well, thank ya kindly. I didn’t grow it out on purpose, though. Just never cared to cut it shorter.” Jesse laughed. Genji grinned, reached out, and playfully tugged on a lock of brown hair, pretending to be upset when Jesse smacked his hand away.

 

The laughter settled down comfortably, lulling into something more peaceful, more...intimate. Seconds ticked past in amiable silence, as the two were both content to just sit there and let the world move around them.

 

“Jokes aside…” Genji murmured, breaking the silence. He dropped his gaze and Jesse leaned forward a bit, wondering what the cyborg was thinking.

 

He looked lost in thought, as if he was trying to figure out what he wanted to say. Jesse would’ve said something, but when Genji looked at him again, all attempts at speaking instantly shut down.

 

“I am glad you are a part of my life again, Jesse.”

 

His voice was so _sincere._

 

There was an tenderness that had blossomed in Genji's eyes, gentle and affectionate and catching Jesse entirely off guard. He wasn’t prepared for the sweet smile Genji gave him. Or how Genji’s gaze was open, searching his own for some sort of response.

 

It reminded Jesse of all those stolen moments from years ago. Moments when Genji would look at him with indecipherably soft emotion in that piercing red gaze. It had always been so, so, so  _open_. And he recognized it now, clear as day.

 

In the back of Jesse’s mind, everything began to fall into place, albeit slowly. It was slow enough that it would take him some time to completely understand why Genji had looked at him like that, why he was looking at him like that right now, and why he mirrored that affection without even thinking about it. It would take some time for either of them to fully figure it out. But, right now, they understood enough.

 

After a brief moment of hesitation, Jesse reached out and gently placed his hand on the side of Genji’s face. Immediately, Genji’s heart skipped a beat. He blinked in surprise, then leaned into the touch.

 

“I’m glad you’re here too, Gen.”

 

Genji beamed, both from what Jesse said and from the use of the nickname. It was stupidly sweet. It was perfect. It was also taking a pretty long time.

 

“That’s all fine and dandy, but...are you two done?” Torbjorn’s rough voice cut through their little bubble, “We want to talk to you too, Jesse.”

 

“Oh, uh, right” Genji said, jolting upright. He quickly moved back and stood up, giving Jesse room to do the same. Jesse took the opportunity to grab onto his hat.

 

“I _just_ showed up and I’m already being nagged by Torbjorn.” Jesse grumbled, though it was more fond than anything.

 

“Yes, but that’s what you signed up for, isn’t it?” Genji noted playfully, chuckling as the cowboy got to his feet.

 

When Jesse stood up, he looked at the group of agents before him. Lena had given up on being patient, already making her way over. That was incentive enough for everybody else to follow, heading over to greet Jesse as well. Angela waved excitedly as they made eye contact, gripping her caduceus staff in clear excitement. Just a few days ago, he didn’t know if he’d ever see any of them again, let alone Genji. And now he was here, meeting all of them face to face for the first time in years.

 

He turned to look at the cyborg beside him, still partially in awe that he was actually  _there,_ right next to him. 

 

“Well?” Genji smiled, light and teasing, as he cocked an eyebrow.

 

Jesse grinned.

 

“This is exactly what I signed up for.”

 

 

  


**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a kudos/comment if you enjoyed! Feedback is always more than appreciated.
> 
> Also on [tumblr](https://regret-dot-jpg.tumblr.com/post/176741014382/home-can-be-a-person)! Like it? Reblog it.


End file.
